It’s still here
hasn’t changed really…
I imagine
familiar carpet curtains
pull-down light over dining table
but sense the energy
is different now
New people live
in these rooms
I wonder
at the brand of love that bounces
off the walls penetrates
their hearts
and remember
time spent here
struggling for air choking
with confusion
and know the decision
to leave saved my life.
c. Kathryn Coughran
Highly Commended: 2005 Joan Johnson Poetry Award (Kathryn Andersen)